President Lee Oliver
General Lee Oliver is the former commanding officer of the New California Republic Army and commander-in-chief of the New California Republic in 2283. Background Oliver was present at the First Battle of Hoover Dam in 2277 and was also stationed at Camp McCarran before he left to be "present at Hoover Dam" according to Radio New Vegas. He meets the Courier in 2281 during the Second Battle of Hoover Dam. Many within the NCR Military believe that Oliver is someone who is eager for glory and victory at the expense of the lives under his command, as well as unwilling to listen to subordinates that may question his strategies. Oliver is highly political, and many beleive he managed to get promoted past Colonel James Hsu by "knowing the president", at the time. Oliver is not especially popular in the NCR Army. Within the ranks, he is commonly referred to as "General Wait-and-see," "Old Wait-and-see" or "Wait-and-see Oliver" due to his habit of being overly-cautious. Oliver's preference is to focus on holding ground already gained, strengthening logistics and combat support before acting, and to not make any offensive moves if he deems them too risky, something that happens often. Oliver's ultimate goal is to mass troops at the dam in order to gain a decisive victory over the Legion. Oliver had an ulterior motive for his heavy focus on the Second Battle of Hoover Dam. Chief Hanlon, the much-admired leader of the NCR Rangers, emerged as the public hero of the First Battle of Hoover Dam in 2277, despite the fact that Oliver was in overall command. This has grated on Oliver and his ego ever since, driving him to deliberately contradict Chief Hanlon on tactical and strategic matters as the Army prepared for the Second Battle of Hoover Dam. The Second Battle of Hoover Dam Soon after President Kimball's assassination, and the activation of the Courier's Securitron Army, the remaining leadership of Caesar's Legion began mounting an offensive on Hoover Dam, beginning the Second Battle of Hoover Dam. As NCR and Legion forces clashed, the Courier fought their way across the dam, before killing Legate Lanius in his own camp. The battle was drawing to a close, and Oliver set off to meet the Courier with an entourage of NCR Rangers. In this meeting, it was revealed that the Courier possessed a massive army of PDQ-88b securitrons. From there, the Courier negotiated terms with Oliver that the NCR Military would leave the Mojave Wasteland. Return to the NCR Following the massive withdrawal of NCR troops from the Mojave Wasteland, many within the NCR were bitter at the outcome of the Mojave Campaign. President Kimball's replacement after his untimely death, former Vice President James Rivalgo, wished to remain out of the Mojave for good, as the campaign was costly in both lives and resources. Many still within the military backed this move, notably Chief Hanlon, who was now running for Senator of Redding in a campaign that attempted to denounce Oliver for his imperialistic ways. Those outside of the Military, however, saw the war in a different light. Following Oliver's return, he quickly stepped down from military service in penance for the loss of the Hoover Dam and the New Vegas Strip. Soon after, he began a campaign for President, urging Congressmen and Senators for a vote of no-confidence against President James Rivalgo and his short-lived presidency. Oliver campaigned that the outcome of the Mojave Campaign was not his fault, and instead was in powers beyond his control. Thus, he believed the Mojave Campaign should be continued, and the 'Carpet-Bagging Courier' should be caught and thrown in prison. The general consensus in the Republic was 2-1 against President Rivalgo's already lackluster presidency, and were in favor of Oliver's message. Chief Hanlon continued the campaign against Oliver, but to little effect. Soon, the vote of no confidence was passed, and Oliver was soon elected President of the New California Republic.